The Blog of Lisa Morosky

I’m a member of Gen Y. And the way I write about Gen Y is from an observational standpoint. I feel like a lot of people are writing about Gen Y, and a lot of that writing comes off as others standing on their soapboxes, picking us apart from an outdated perspective, trying to make sense of this ever-so-confusing generation. I get why the confusion exists, but I happen to think that Gen Y is really unique compared to those before us (I know I’m probably biased). There are some things that really set us apart.

We’re the Internet generation.
Gen Y is the first generation to literally grow up with the amazing technology that is the Internet. That means that the Internet is a second language to us, and everything from our research skills to our ability to connect with others has been impacted by it. We’re used to having results in seconds (more on that below), and we were born knowing how to multi-task.

We have startup, entrepreneur fever.
Perhaps I see it more because I’m immersed in this world, but the percentage of Gen Yers with fiercely entrepreneurial mindsets is huge. In fact, it’s been noted that Gen Y might be responsible for the future push of the American workforce towards entrepreneurship and innovation. Gen Y loves the word “change”. I imagine that’s one reason why President Obama appealed to so many in Gen Y; he talked of major changes.

We’re fiercely adaptable. Change doesn’t really scare us.
I haven’t spoken with too many Gen Yers close to me who are seriously worried about the current financial climate. I think that speaks to the fact that we’re able to adapt to a lot of different situations. I’m no psychologist, but maybe this has something to do with the real instability some of us in Gen Y have faced in our lives (e.g., a higher divorce rate than generations before us, witnessing our Baby Boomer parents get laid off during hard times, etc).

I also think this goes hand-in-hand with another fact about Gen Y: we want to see results and we want to see them now. If we don’t see those results, we’re gone, because we can adapt and change to fit in with new work environments. I know this mentality quite well. It’s one of the main reasons I quit my job. We’re not afraid of change. We don’t have that attachment to our jobs like the generations before us. We’re not afraid to move on.

We’re forcing workplace changes.
I think we’re forcing the workplace to accept social media (slowly but surely). Gen Y is an incredibly relational, social generation. So we want this to be the case in the workplace as well. Employers have to embrace new technologies and learn how to create a community around their brand, versus a we-sell-they-buy thought process. Employers are also having to meet us where we are (e.g., they’re searching for you on LinkedIn, and they’re recruiting us on Facebook). Not to mention, there’s an increased pressure on employers to have a creative environment in which we want to work in.

Gen Y is truly a one-of-a-kind generation. I can’t wait to see what the world looks like 25 years from now, when we’ve had more of a chance to make an impact.